What to Watch: DVD Picks of the Week

They say that time flies when you’re having fun.  We hope you're having as much fun as we are, considering that it’s the first Friday of August already.  Where did the summer go?? 

Here are three films (actually, six!) that have received two big thumbs up from Rebekah Vigliatura, store manager at .

Family Pick, “It Takes Two” (1995) – Amanda Lemmon (Mary-Kate Olsen) is a street savvy orphan who is about to be adopted by a family she doesn’t like.  She admires her caseworker, Diane (Kirstie Alley), and although the feeling is mutual, Diane’s meager salary won’t allow her to do so. 

Alyssa Callaway (Ashley Olsen) is from a wealthy family.  She’s home from boarding school for the summer, and discovers that her dad, Roger (Steve Guttenberg), is marrying Clarice, a child-hating socialite.   

During an attempt to run away, Alyssa and Amanda meet at camp, and drum up the idea to switch places since they (surprise!) look exactly alike.  Together, the two pixies hatch a plan to get rid of Clarice and unite Roger and Diane. 

The “Full House” twins  turned fashionistas won the Nickelodeon Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actress for their roles in “Two.”

(Rated PG.  Runtime: 101 minutes ) 

Drama Pick, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Girl Who Played with Fire,” and “The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” (2009) – Based on the best-selling trilogy by Stieg Larsson, these three films all came out the same year.  Though there has been much hype over the soon-to-be released U.S. versions starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara (the first will hit theaters four days before Christmas on December 21), this series has proved to be just as thrilling.  For those who are distracted by subtitles, the DVD has the option of dubbing the flicks in English. 

“Dragon” begins with a mysterious disappearance.  Four decade prior, Harriet Vanger vanished from a family gathering on an island owned and inhabited by her powerful clan.  Her body was never found, though her uncle is convinced that a family member murdered her.  He hires disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and the tattooed computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) to investigate.  As the duo digs deeper, the begin unraveling the clan’s dark history. 

In “Fire,” the two throw themselves into a sex trafficking investigation in Sweden, including those in high office who are abusing underage girls.  “Nest” reunites the pair for the third and final time as Salander is set to face trial for attempted murder, and leans on Blomkvist to help prove her innocence. 

The first film garnered some major accolades including the BAFTA (equivalent of the U.K.’s Academy Awards) for Best Film Not in the English Language, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

(Rated R – adult situations, profanity, sexual situations, nudity, graphic violence, rape & sexual abuse.  Runtime: 120 minutes / 129 minutes / 129 minutes)

Comedy Pick, “Cheaper by the Dozen” (2003) – Kate Baker (Bonnie Hunt), narrates a story about her large family, which includes her husband Tom (Steve Martin) and her twelve children (seven boys and five girls).  The matriarch’s dream is to publish her book on parenting, until Tom unexpectedly receives and offer to coach at a larger university. 

Despite the protests of the rest of the brood, they leave small town Evanston, Illinois, behind.  The once happy family dynamics begin to fall apart, as the tension at the new house increases.  When Kate’s book finally gets published, she is hits the road for a mandatory national book tour. 

Juggling his new position and the chaotic household, proves to be too much for Tom, who hires eldest child Nora (Piper Perabo) and her boyfriend Hank (Ashton Kutcher) to keep on the youngins.  Unfortunately for Hank, the children aren’t quite fond of him, as he becomes the target of antagonistic pranks.  And if you haven’t already guessed – lots of chaos ensues!

 (Rated PG – adult language, adult situations.  Runtime: 98 minutes)